Launching CRM Startups At The Silver Hair Stage of Life
What do you do after a lifetime of betting your life on startups? You launch another one with the peace and confidence that only a head of gray, er, silver hair can bring.
It’s 2011, and I’m sitting in a conference room, my laptop hooked to a projector, my phone acting as a hotspot because at this time corporate Wi-Fi is a luxury. I’m Peter Kay, your feral entrepreneur, and I’m about to pitch a game-changer to Miles, the CEO of Rings of Aloha, a well-known jewelry retailer in Hawaii. This isn’t just another client meeting. This is the moment that births my sixth startup, Avagence—a business that’ll blend my knack for spotting opportunities with a new kind of calm I hadn’t felt in years. Unlike the wild, all-or-nothing days of launching Hawaii’s first commercial website, or taking on the anti-spam world, this venture feels different. It’s not do-or-die. It’s deliberate, exciting, and, yeah, a little less feral—but still me.
The Jewelry Store Puzzle
I’ve been running CyberCom offering fractional CTO services, helping clients like Rings of Aloha with their tech needs. Miles, a sharp guy who’s built a successful jewelry business, is one of those clients. His company’s got a great niche in the retail industry, but their sales tools need modernization. Like most retailers back then (and some still today in 2025!) they’re using paper profile cards—bigger than a 3x5, sure, but still manual, messy, and outdated. Customer names, preferences, purchase histories? Scrawled on paper, rarely updated, and basically useless. Their point-of-sale system holds a goldmine of data—thousands of customer profiles, sales histories, hundreds of inventory items—but it’s locked away, untouched. I see it instantly: they need a CRM, something to turn that data into actionable insights. I’ve been building Salesforce CRM solutions for other clients, so I know exactly what’s possible. This isn’t just a fix for Miles. It’s a massive opportunity.
Prepping to Blow Their Minds
With Miles’s blessing, I get to work. I talk to their IT vendor, who runs the point-of-sale system, and ask for access to the underlying SQL database engine. Then I dive in, pulling thousands of customer profiles, sales histories, and inventory details, transforming and importing it all into Salesforce. This is old hat for me—data migration, table translations, I’ve done it a hundred times. But this time, it takes on a personal quest type of quality. I’m not just solving a problem; my feral entrepreneur spidey sense tells me there's a bigger opportunity behind this demo I’m building . I set it up in their conference room, my Salesforce dashboard ready to project on the wall. Miles and his inner circle—his most trusted team—sit around the table, curious about what’s coming and they have no idea what I’m about to show them. I’m ready to sell mood rings to Vulcans, and I can feel the old entrepreneurial fire raging and ready.
One Demo Was All It Took
I kick off the demo with a simple question: “Who are your top 25 customers?” Silence. They glance at each other, tossing out a couple of names—Joel, Sally—half-guessing, no confidence. I push harder: “If Ryan walked into your store right now, what would you recommend based on his purchase history?” Crickets. They don’t know Ryan’s a top client, how many times he’s visited, who he spoke to last, or what he said he wanted to buy a month ago. I’ve got them. I pull up the Salesforce dashboard and show them: here’s your top 25 customers, their purchase histories, the last time they bought, what they bought. I click on Ryan’s profile—boom, his entire history, every interaction, every preference, right there. Their jaws drop. I know it’s over. The deal’s closed.
There’s Gold In Them Thar Databases
I spend the rest of the demo showing off what Salesforce can do. Instant reports, easy data pulls, real-time insights. But the real kicker? I’ve unlocked their point-of-sale data and integrated it with CRM. This isn’t some empty database—it’s their actual customer files, their sales history, live and ready. Nobody in retail jewelry is doing this in 2011. CRMs exist, sure, but tying them to point-of-sale systems with two-way data sync? That’s new. I propose a system where adding a customer in Salesforce instantly updates the point-of-sale system, and vice versa. No manual entry. Sales history syncs every night, customer profiles update in minutes. It’s automated, seamless, and a first-of-its-kind solution. Miles and his team see it: this will transform their business.
The Feral Entrepreneur Returns
Inside, I’m buzzing. For years, I’ve been grinding with CyberCom, doing solid work for clients, day in, day out. It’s been good—profitable, steady—but it’s not the same as creating a new product like this. Ten years ago, I felt this rush with Titan Key, building software that pushed boundaries. Now, with this demo, I’m back in that zone, again inventing something—a CRM-point-of-sale integration that’s never been done in retail jewelry—and it lights me up. It’s not just about Rings of Aloha. I see the bigger picture: every jeweler in the country needs this. We’re on the leading edge, and I’m freaking stoked. This isn’t just a client project anymore. It’s the seed of something bigger.
Avagence is Born
That demo becomes the genesis of Avagence, my sixth startup. Built on Salesforce, designed specifically for retail jewelers, it’s a business that blends my tech chops with a real market need. Miles becomes a co-founder, bringing his industry know-how and helping us grow. We land jewelers across the country, and Avagence turns nicely profitable. It’s a good business, not a gamble-everything venture like CyberCom’s early days or Titan Key’s launch. I’m 50 and this time not throwing everything on the line. CyberCom keeps running, serving clients, and paying the bills. Avagence runs in parallel, a new challenge without the life-or-death stakes. It’s a shift—a sign I’m not the same feral kid of times past who regularly bet it all on a dream.
Feeling Great To Be Back In the Game
This is what being a feral entrepreneur is all about: spotting an opportunity, inventing a solution, building a business, and making it profitable. I hadn’t felt this since Titan Key, and it’s like a shot of adrenaline. Avagence isn’t just a win for Miles’ business; it’s a win for me. It reminds me why I do this—why I’ve always done this. It’s not about proving myself to the world anymore. I’ve been through five startups, from XenTec to CyberCom’s exit. I’ve slain fear dragons, mastered time, built legends. This time, it’s about creating something great because I can, because it’s fun, because it’s possible.
Freed From the Need to Prove Anything
Avagence marks a shift in my life. At 50, I’m not chasing world domination with the same desperation I had in my 20s or 30s. I still dream big—every startup needs a hint of grandeur, a whisper of “this could be huge”—but I’m not risking it all. I’ve got a glide path to retirement, CyberCom’s humming along, and I’ve got nothing to prove. Avagence is a solid money-making business, not a do-or-die mission. It’s startup number six, and it feels good to build without the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’m at peace with myself, no longer needing to prove I’m enough. That’s the real win.
Success Powered by Inner Peace
Here’s what I learned: the best ventures come when you’re free from needing to prove anything—to yourself or anyone else. Avagence wasn’t about betting the farm or chasing epic glory like my earlier days. It was about seeing a need, building something new, and making it work. It was fun, profitable, and a reminder that I’m still a feral entrepreneur at heart—just a little wiser, a little calmer. Find that place where you’re at peace with who you are, and let that flow into the businesses you build.